Mostly (but not all) Plants This Time

Wherever we go and everyday, it seems there is something worth a photo.  Our recent pre-concert walk in the UC-Berkeley Botanical Gardens is the source of many of the photos in this post.  Others were taken around our house or nearby.

How's that for a flower spike?

Ready to catch insects

Guess who is standing by patiently while I snap photos.

In the orchid house

Cactus in bloom

Another flower spike in the desert garden

In the Asian garden

Flowers look like snow on the leaves

From the decks and balconies:

Bird of Paradise adjusting to its new home.
We hope it will flower before too long.

A typical misty morning in the hills

Dew on the carnations

New Parrot's Beak - redder than the one we bought last year

 

Lobelia and the year old Parrot's Beak

The Rock Purslane (pink-purple in the foreground) has filled in nicely since last year.
The yellow in the background is Monkey Flower in the neighbor's yard.

Agave in the background, California poppy in front

Our Oscularia deltoides in full bloom.
What a change from the tiny plant we put in last year!

We contnue redo our small front yard watering with drip irrigation.
This time with Aloe starts that a neighbor gave us.

Occasionally we get a glimpse of the local wildlife.  This buck turned up one misty morning and stood still long enough for me to zoom in.

It's fun watching this year's new Black-headed Grosbeaks learn their way around our feeders.

The bay and hills always present photo ops.  Here are some recent ones.

Those eerie times when the city and bay disappear

 

The waning light always captures my interest

A clear night, city lights

Venus shining full in the evening sky - 40x zoom

Note: Botanical Garden photos taken with an iPhone 5c camera; others with an Olympus SH-1.